How to Enjoy a Zambian Safari

Why travel to Zambia? First off, the safaris are awesome! You may also want to see the Victoria Falls, the world’s largest water fall on the wild Zambezi, Africa’s fourth largest river. How about the teeming wildlife in pristine wilderness and 749 recorded bird species? There's also the endemic lechwe antelopes, the rare shoebill stork, the only reservoir of Thornicroft giraffes, and the big five (lion, leopard, buffalo, hippo and elephant) in the national parks. If that's not enough, think of the legendary walking safaris in Zambia’s premier game reserve and the South Luangwa National Park with the greatest concentration of wildlife and beautiful viewing. Add the friendly country and warm African welcome, and how can younotwant to journey to Zambia?

Steps

Fly into Livingstone International Airport.

Get yourself through the immigration formalities.Then drive a hired car into Livingstone city.

Check into a theme designed hotel or lodge like those found at the Zambezi waterfront.Try the Sun Hotel resort.

Sample Zambian life at Songwe Point (a typical cultural village) or visit Chief Mukuni Village for traditional crafts and arts.

Visit the world’s largest waterfall, the mighty Victoria Falls:mystic, beautiful and awesome. Dr. David Livingstone discovered the falls 150 years ago. It’s locally known as Mosi-Oa-Tunya meaning “the smoke that thunders.�?

Go to the Adventure Centre to arrange a tour of Livingstone and the nearby Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, which is small but well stocked with wildlife.

Choose an adventure of your liking:bungee jumping, water rafting over 22 rapids, river boarding, gorge abseiling, microlight flying over the falls, chopper hovering at the falls, boat cruise on the Zambezi, cultural village life with Zambian food, museums and the nine zigzagging gorges.

Hop on a plane to fly to Zambia’s premier game reserve, the South Laungwa National Park, one of the 19 wildlife reserves and 34 game management areas.Wildlife occupies 30 percent of Zambia.

Fly to Kafue National Park, one of Africa’s and the world’s largest game parks to see the endemic lechwe antelopes that fill the Busanga Floodplains, a unique wetland.And check out the big five too!

Visit a traditional ceremony - it's exciting and uniquely Zambian.One or two ceremonies take place every month. Your tour operator will advise and arrange a visit for you.

Meet and mingle with the friendly, smiling people with their renowned African warm welcome.

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Drive around Zambia to enjoy the pristine landscape.

Patience is a virtue if you want to watch rare animals even common ones such as lion and leopard.

Electricity in Zambia, like in most of Africa, is 220 – 240V AC 50 Hz. Bring an adapter.

Take along some of your own medication just in case your lodge or camp runs out. However, your host will usually keep enough medications.

Choose the dry season (May to September) for easy spotting of wild game. The thirst for drinking water and the lush vegetation near lakes attract animals. Here, the predators lie low in wait for their prey. You can get some pretty great pictures in these spots.

Remember to take nothing but photographs, and leave nothing but footprints.

Don't avoid the night. Nighttime is also a great time to see animals, particularly those nocturnal ones who would otherwise be sleeping.

Don't forget to bring along enough film and batteries for your camera. You don’t want to miss the once-in-a-lifetime picture opportunities of your Zambian safari. Just imagine all that effort you made to come to Africa.

Wear insect repellent in the evenings. Cover much of your skin by wearing long trousers, long sleeved shirts and socks to ward off mosquitoes. These insects tend to be docile during the day, but cannot be forgotten about.

You can also arrive in Zambia by road or railroad. Catch a locomotive steam safari train from South Africa.

Enjoy both the fauna and flora: for the uninitiated, it means animals and plants. On a Zambian safari you get to see some rare and unique plans and animals.

Take your safari drives in the morning when it’s cool. The animals are more active… and you may catch the nocturnal species looking for a place to bed down.

Bring rechargeable or replacement batteries for your camera.

Arrive by "sea voyage" from north and East Africa on Lake Tanganyika through Zambia’s only seaport, Mpulungu. Lake Tanganyika is Africa’s deepest and oldest lake. It makes for great fishing, too!

You can travel to Zambia throughout the whole year but the period May to September is recommended.

Bring along your own good quality binoculars. While on a Zambian safari it is not uncommon to see a predator stalking its prey. You'll want to watch this unique experience uninterrupted.

Insects, birds and smaller creatures are also fun to watch.

Warnings

Despite the friendly welcome, watch out for pick pockets. They exist here too!

October to November are the hottest months but rarely reach 40 °C (104 °F).

Never get out of your jeep.

Avoid catching malaria. It may be fatal if you delay in getting treatment or get misdiagnosed. Luckily all medical doctors (MD’s) resident in Zambia easily diagnose malaria.

During night drives, bright spotlights attracts insects. You might want to reconsider volunteering to hold the spotlight, unless you like insects in your face.

A safari trip is considered by many travelers to be the adventurous experience of a lifetime. It is very important to select the region and the time of year to visit the safari. You would want to consider the health risk involved during certain seasons. Malaria, yellow fewer and Schistosmiasis are few of the common health issues that prolong in the area. It is highly recommended that you do not ignore these risk and buy adequate insurance with medical emergency evacuation.